Our Heaven
by Mizz Blackshaw
Summary: Rachel Amber refuses to move on to Heaven without telling Chloe what happened to her. But it's hard to tell her when reality constantly bends around her and even she doesn't know exactly how it all happened. Based on the movie The Lovely Bones and original Life is Strange game.


A/N: This story is based off of the movie The Lovely Bones (no spoilers, just the concept). It has a lot of changing environments and back-and-forth timelines to kind of simulate the reversing of time from Life is Strange. So this fanfic is very experimental. Any feedback is truly appreciated! I hope you enjoy.

* * *

I wake up in the junkyard with only my memories of the party. People handed me drinks. They loved seeing me there. And the music was the best. I remember being upset and looking for an escape. But why…?

Because I hate this town and Frank didn't make it any better. I saw him selling these crazy drugs to my classmate, Nathan. What else? He wanted to do something… Frank was…is into some freaky shit. I can't imagine being with a man who… Who…what? This must be what forgiveness looks like. At least forgetfulness.

I walk through our hideout. Chloe has to be around here somewhere. "Chloe?" She isn't sitting in her usual spot. I step out and fall into freezing water. It spreads out like a vast ocean. "Chloe?" My scream turning into air bubbles. I have to find her.

I swim through the trash and debris. I wonder if anyone knows I'm here. What happened?

"Why didn't you tell me what was in the bag?"

"I knew you'd freak out." He sat down, petting Pompidou. "Besides, you made it out…"

"I got caught, Frank!"

"But you got the money?"

"No, I didn't. I got caught!"

"Where's the bag?"

I sat down across from him. "They took it. If you want it, go get it."

"That's not the deal, Rachel!" He yanked me out of my chair. "Go get that bag and sell every single thing inside!"

"You're hurting me."

"Not as badly as I'll do when you don't sell it." He pushed me towards the door. "Now go!"

What happened next?

Mr. Jefferson's office. He was looking at a few of our semester projects when I knocked on the door. "Ah, Miss Rachel Amber. Come here to discuss your project? Though it is way after office hours."

"I lost my bag earlier. It was the one with…"

He held it up before I could finish. "I believe everything you're looking for is in here."

"Taking things from the Head of Security? That's pretty bold of you, Mr. J."

"What can I say? I knew you would be devastated if anything happened to your bag. It's the least I could do." I reached for it, but he pulled it away. "Now, Rachel, you must promise not to let any of this happen again."

"Yes, sir." I strapped the bag on. "Now, can you tell me what I got on my final project?"

"Nice try." He laughed. "Meet me in class tomorrow and we'll talk about it."

"Fair enough. See you tomorrow." As I turned to walk away, I opened my bag to make sure it was all there. But instead, it was large stacks of cash.

I hated Frank for only the night. I wrote down how mad I was in a letter so that he'd see it when he woke up with the money all there. But I still loved him, so much so that I wrote a letter of apology the next day. I love Frank but I have to find Chloe.

I try to swim to the surface. I hear Nathan Prescott and Mr. Jefferson, but I can't hear what they're saying. Just their voices swimming around. I try to scream out to them, but air bubbles come out instead.

I can breathe. The air was cold like the water. I close my eyes and I arrive at the Vortex Club party. Come on, Rachel. Think. I was escaping into the music. I was offered a drink. I felt a sting in my neck.

I finally reach the surface. It's cool up here, nothing but sand. I can't even see an ocean anymore, but I hear the sound of the waves. I hear the seagulls but I can't see them. I must be in Cali again. Just like I've always wanted. I'm here! I'm…

No. I need to find Chloe.

I run as fast as I can but I don't seem to be going anywhere. The sun slowly but surely started to sink. Not yet. I need to find her before dark, don't I? Do I have time? Do I ever have time? I run but I don't know where I'm going.

"Chloe!" I shouted. "Chloe!"

I see her. She's alone in her room, smoking. I try tapping the window, but the sound doesn't go through. I tap harder and the glass wobbles like it's made of rubber. So I'm left to watch her from the outside. She gets up and grabs a bunch of papers from her desk and leaves the room.

I wait for her to leave the house so I can hug her. Maybe I'll kiss her. Maybe I'll just joke around and punch her in the arm. It takes longer than I thought. I'm still waiting and I still don't know how I'll react when I see her. It has probably been a long time but maybe no time has passed. Why is she taking so long? When she opens the door, she yells at someone and slams the door. I wave to her. "Chloe!" I run up to hug her but she disappears. I float again as everything around me begins to change again.

I grab onto the hoof of a doe to ground me. I hope I didn't hurt it. But I did wake her up. She jumps up and begins to run. Another runs by. Then another, another, and another. I follow them, running as fast as I can through the field. The best part is I can run as long as I want. I'm not getting tired. My feet don't hurt. The does look so free. Am I free now?

I slow down. The does run off without me. I wave goodbye and go back to finding Chloe. She has to be around somewhere, but I've been running for so long, I don't know where I am. I look around and can only see the field of green grass. Way far out is a hill. For some reason, I don't want to go to the top. Not yet.

There's Chloe. She's with some girl she apparently knows. They are in her room together. This time, I open the window. It's heavy but I can slip through. "Chloe, I'm here." I tell her once I'm inside. "Chloe, I…"

They talk about me. "She was my angel." Chloe says.

"I…am." I say and give her a huge hug. "Because I'm here now." But she doesn't seem to notice me. "Chloe? I wouldn't leave you."

"Unlike you, she would've told me, okay? Something happened to her."

I look at my hands. I feel my palms and fingers. She's right. Something did happen to me. But I can't remember. Who even knows I'm gone? "I'm right here." I say because that's all that matters now. I lie down next to her as she smokes. "I'm right here with you, Chloe." She doesn't speak. I sigh heavily as I slowly begin to sink. It doesn't even matter where I go. No one is looking for me anyway. Six months? I don't remember running for six months.

I do remember dancing and lights flashing all around me. Nathan waved for me to come over. I told him I was having fun and that the Vortex Club threw a nice party. He said "Happy to hear it. Do you want a drink?"

"What do you have?"

"A mixer. You can order whatever you want." He smiled.

"How'd you get an actual alcohol mixer?"

"Don't worry about the logic too much. It's a party!" Everyone else cheered, holding up their drinks.

"Get me some wine." I told him.

He grabbed a glass for me. "Did anyone ever tell you that you look like a model?"

"I've heard it once or twice."

I wake up in the mud. It's thick but I can feel a small bit of air. It's heavy, but I use all my strength to claw out. I scream once I'm out, hoping someone will help me out. I use everything I have to pull myself out. I'm back in the middle of nowhere. But I do see Chloe's friend. "Hey!"

She sees me. I run to see if Chloe is with her, but I never find her. The girl takes out a camera and takes a picture. The flash blinds me for a second. When I got my sight back, I notice I'm not in the same place. I'm back where I left the does.

The does come back with blue butterflies. They fluttered over me, kissing my cheeks with their wings, dancing around my hair. Clumps of dirt and mud fall and dissipate. I giggle at their tickly tiny legs on my arms. The does rub against my body in such a loving way. They must want me to run with them again, so I do. But something trips me and makes me fall to the ground.

It's a girl's body.

I step back. The clouds are too thick now, so I can't see her face. "Hey, are you okay?" Her arms are twisted around her. Her legs are broken. "Oh my gosh." I try to wake her up, but she isn't moving. The does are gone. The butterflies abandoned me. I look for help, but I'm alone with her.

"Wh…Where…?" She gets up, untwisting her arms and legs. She stands up. "Where am I?"

"I don't know." I say.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" She doesn't look at me when she asks. She just looks around at the dark field. The girl still has tears coming down her face.

"Do you?"

It begins to rain. But it isn't water coming down from above. They're papers. They fall slowly to the ground. I pick one up. It has my picture with huge title saying "MISSING."

"Oh no." I rip the paper. "No… I'm not…" I rip another paper. "I'm not lost. I'm here in Arcadia Bay."

The girl shakes her head. "I don't think so. At least I hope not."

"Why? Where are we?"

She looks around again. "I think…we're dead."

"Dead?" I laugh at the thought. "If we were dead, would we be here?"

"Where's here? I jumped off the roof. Where else would we be?"

"What roof?"

She sniffs. "The girl's dorm at Blackwell." She sobs. "I shouldn't have done it. I should've listened to Max but…she didn't make me feel hopeful."

I rub her back. "Why did you do it?"

"You don't know?" I shake my head. "I was on a video that went viral. I was making out with a bunch of guys and… I don't know… I think I was drugged at that party. I woke up in this white room with all these lights and… Now no one would forgive me for it. They were so mean to me." She cries harder.

"But you're here now." I say. "And it's wonderful. Look at all the clouds and flowers." The sun starts to poke through again. Now she can see the beauty of this place. "Come on. Let's go."

"Where are we going?" She asks in between sobs.

"Heaven, I guess." I tell her. "But first, I need to find my friend."

We step over all the fliers and continue walking to nowhere. "I've seen these posted all over school." She says. "You used to go to my school until you went missing."

"I did."

"Do you remember me, Rachel Amber?"

I bite my lip to remember, but not even my name sounded familiar. "Sorry. I can't really remember much of anything."

"It's me, Kate Marsh."

I smile. "Right. You were upset for a while, weren't you?"

She nods sadly. "I let it block all of my blessings. I did this…"

"Stop." I hold her hands. "You have fought long enough. This is not a place of fighting."

She drops to her knees, still holding my hands. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I sit down next to her. "Kate…" I hold her like she was my child. "You're free now."

"I don't think I can live with this guilt."

"You're not." I say. "You just need to let it go."

"How?"

"Well…that's up to you." I stand up. "Come on. Let's go."

She holds my hand and holds it tight. "I'm with you." She surrenders herself but it will take a while until she fully heals. I know it.

We press on, not knowing what will get in our way, if anything. We just hope that the does and the butterflies would come back. Or maybe anything happy. Kate points to the stars, making constellations with her finger. I point to the shooting star. She points to the moon. I point to the snowflakes falling. We make snow angels with halos, imagining if we'd look like that when we get to Heaven.

"Hey, you didn't tell me how you got here." Kate says.

I shrug. "I'm still trying to figure that out. I don't even remember anything."

"How would you know?"

"Let's find out." I take a leap and fall down a cliff. I never even saw the edge. I land gently on a cloud. Kate follows and lands next to me.

"I can't believe I did that." She says, half laughing. She sees the beauty in our atmosphere. I wish I saw Arcadia Bay with this much wonder. Kate reaches her hand out to touch the puffy white. It makes her happy.

"Look." I point down at Chloe with that girl next to her. "There she is."

Kate looks sad again. "Max…"

"Max?"

She nods. "Maxine Caulfield. We call her Max. She was with me when I was on the roof. She tried to talk me down but…"

"She's with my friend, Chloe Price. She's the one I was searching for." I look at Max. They are talking in Chloe's truck. She's in my seat. I wonder what they are talking about. They talk for a while. What are they talking about?

"Rachel?"

I blink and remember where I am. "Why does every guy I love want to take advantage of me?"

She doesn't have an answer. She just gives a sympathetic look.

"Mark, Frank, even Nathan…" I turn to her. "They did this to you, didn't they?"

"I don't know who Mark or Frank are, but yes, Nathan did something. If I…stayed a little longer…" Her face twists up again.

"They need to know."

She wipes her face, trying not to cry again. "Wh-Who?"

"Everybody." I ball up my fists. There is no way they will get away with this. But there's nothing we can do while we're here. "You want to redeem yourself, don't you?"

She nods. "More than anything."

"We have to stop them before any other girls end up here. And I know you won't be able to go to Heaven with this weighing down on you. So let's do it together."

"But how? We're here and they're still in Arcadia Bay."

She's right. I can never touch the real world the way I want. Everything changes before I could even think about it. Even now the grass flattens to make a field of green. It gives like jello under my feet. I turn around, Kate isn't there. Where did she go?

"Kate?" I call out.

I don't run because of the wobbly ground, so I hurry to who knows where. The jello ground turns into water that threatens to pull me under. So I swim as hard as I can. That's when I see the storm. A huge waterspout roars through towards Arcadia Bay. I can see it from our spot by the lighthouse.

Chloe and I would hang out here for what felt like a lifetime. I want to at least see her face. I want to at least hear her voice. It makes me hate being here. Why did they have to rob that from me? What did I do to end up here? Why do I deserve this?

I know they're around. They always seem to be near whenever I'm in reality. "Chloe?" I don't see her, but I do see Max. The storm grows. Trees fall around us. "Max… The storm…" I run up towards the lighthouse. "Look at it. It's going to ruin Arcadia Bay."

She gasps. She sees a newspaper. I can't read the date on it. I actually can't read it at all for some reason. But just as quickly as she came, she disappears. I sit down and watch the vortex crash into the small town. Everything wrong with Arcadia Bay is wiped out. The Prescotts are dead, Frank is dead, Mr. Jefferson is dead. And I love it.

I close my eyes imagining their surprised faces. But when I open them, I'm in the mud again. I try to claw my way out but someone helps me on the other side. "Hello?" I call out. As soon as I see the outside, I see Chloe and Max.

Then I wake up again.

Kate helps me off the ground. "There you are." She says with such a great smile on her face. "Come on. I think I found it."

"What?"

"Heaven! I heard the singing and I just know it has to be the real thing."

"No, I… I can't. Not yet. We can't."

"But why?" She asks. "It's Heaven!"

"Because we need them to know. We have to let them know what's going on. We have to…"

"I think we have to move on." Kate says. "I think we're just delaying the inevitable."

"No, we need to save them."

"It's over for us, Rachel. Why can't you accept that?" She holds my hands. "Let's go together, okay?"

"No, we…"

"Let's go together, okay?" She repeats.

"I said no." I snatch my hands free. "Kate, did you forget…?"

She walks backwards. "Do you remember me, Rachel Amber?"

I bite my lip to remember, but not even my name sounded familiar. "Sorry. I can't really remember much of anything."

"It's me, Kate Marsh."

I smile. "Right." Then I frown. "What?" I walk backwards with her. "Kate? We're…"

She looks around again. "I think…we're dead."

"Dead?" I laugh at the thought. "If we were dead, would we be here?"

"Where's here? I jumped off the roof. Where else would we be?"

"Kate, what are you talking about?"

She falls backward, her arms and legs twisted and broken. Then her body floats to the sky. Higher and higher like a balloon.

"Kate! Kate, come back!"

I turn around when I hear this loud whooshing sound. It's a giant black hole sucking everything in, the blue butterflies, the does, the grass, the clouds. I try to run away, but I feel myself getting sucked in. "No!" I run faster and harder, but I fail. I close my eyes as the whooshing gets louder. I can't hear anything else. I refuse to go this way, but I'm not strong enough to fight it.

Darkness.

…

Silence.

…

I wake up in the junkyard with only my memories of the party. People handed me drinks. They loved seeing me there. And the music was the best. I remember being upset and looking for an escape. But why…?

Because I hate this town, and Frank didn't make it any better. I saw him selling these crazy drugs to my classmate, Nathan. What else? He wanted to do something… Frank was…is into some freaky shit. I can't imagine being with a man who… Who…what? This must be what forgiveness looks like. At least forgetfulness.

I walk through our hideout. Chloe has to be around here somewhere. "Chloe?"

"Yo." She turns the corner. She's different from when I last remember her. She has a red mark on her stomach. "Rachel?"

"Chloe…" I wrap my arms around her. "Oh, Chloe…"

"Where are we?" She looks around at the beautiful landscape around us. We are in a field of blue butterflies and does.

"Come on." I hold her hand. "I knew we belonged together. Let's go to Heaven."

"Heaven?" She squeezes my hand. "That means we're…"

"It means we're here. And it's okay." I caress her cheek. "We need to let go and move on."

She takes a while but she nods. "Okay. Let's go."

We run towards the light and the sound of glorious music. It isn't exactly Firewalk, but it is beautiful. And we're both happy. The closer we get, the bigger our smiles, the faster we run.

"This is it, Rachel!" She says. "This is really Heaven!"

I stop her. "Wait." I say. She looks confused until I kiss her. She smiles and kisses back. I embrace her but the warmth does not compare to that of Heaven. I am her angel. I don't have wings yet and I'm not perfect, but we are here. Hand in hand, we walk into our Heaven.


End file.
